Beyond the Brief
Hear about the cases, issues, and tactics advancing the fight for freedom—directly from the people on the front lines. Deep Dive with the Institute for Justice explores the legal theories, strategies, and methods IJ uses to bring about real world change, expanding individual liberty and ending abuses of government power. In each episode, host Melanie Hildreth talks with litigators, researchers, and activists to give listeners an in-depth, inside look at cutting-edge legal and policy issues—and how they affect the lives of ordinary Americans everywhere.
- Update frequency
- every 16 days
- Average duration
- 32 minutes
- Episodes
- 77
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Rebel Ridge: Fact or Fiction?
The film Rebel Ridge came September 6 and shot to #1 on Netflix. It depicts a former Marine’s attempts to get his money back after it was taken by police through civil forfeiture. That story sounded …
00:22:44 |
Wed 25 Sep 2024
Carrying Cash is NOT a Crime
It’s legal to travel domestically with any amount of cash. It’s legal to travel in and out of the U.S. with more than $10k if you declare it. But that doesn’t stop law enforcement from searching trav…
00:37:23 |
Fri 13 Sep 2024
To Serve, Protect, and…Fish for Cash? Bogus Traffic Stops Violate 4th Amendment
On a typical day, police officers pull over more than 50,000 drivers. If you’ve had a recent encounter with police, chances are good it was during a traffic stop. Traffic stops can lead to searches, …
00:39:28 |
Thu 22 Aug 2024
Speaking for a Living and the First Amendment
The freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment is a foundational and cherished right that sets America apart from other constitutional democracies.
Many people think of the First Amendm…
Many people think of the First Amendm…
00:36:22 |
Thu 08 Aug 2024
Will the Supreme Court Finally Curb Civil Forfeiture? Maybe.
As our listeners probably know, civil forfeiture is legal practice that lets the government take and keep your property by claiming it’s connected to a crime, without needing to convict anyone. You …
00:33:37 |
Fri 26 Jul 2024
SWAT Raids are Out of Control
Imagine a SWAT team raids a house—battering doors, breaking windows, and coating everything inside with tear gas residue. Now imagine the SWAT team had the wrong address. Who do think would pay for …
00:43:35 |
Mon 15 Jul 2024
FBI Commits the Largest Armed Robbery in American History
In March 2021, people entered a private security-deposit box company in Beverly Hills, CA, broke open hundreds of boxes, and indiscriminately seized their contents – collectively worth over one hundr…
00:44:20 |
Thu 27 Jun 2024
IJ Client Fulfills Dream of Helping Others–Overcomes Permanent Punishment Law
We like to think of America as a land of opportunity and second chances. But what happens when a web of government restrictions prevents someone from earning an honest living due to past mistakes? T…
00:37:15 |
Thu 13 Jun 2024
Why Holding Feds Accountable is (ALMOST) Impossible
If a federal official violates your rights, is it impossible to hold them accountable? In this episode, we talk with IJ senior attorneys Anya Bidwell and Patrick Jaicomo, leaders of IJ’s Project on …
00:30:41 |
Wed 12 Jun 2024
Ruling Lets Gov’t TRESPASS on 96% of PRIVATE Land in the U.S.
Your home is supposed to be your castle. But what about the land your castle sits on? We discuss why it is that most private land in America gets no protection from warrantless government surveillan…
00:36:15 |
Fri 17 May 2024
Government Retaliation is Out of Control
What can Americans do if the government retaliates against them for speaking out? Today we're going to discuss real world examples of governments retaliating against citizens for speech they don’t ap…
00:42:38 |
Thu 02 May 2024
Qualified Immunity Protects the FBI, Your Mayor, and ALL Officials. Not Just Police.
Does qualified immunity actually accomplish what the Supreme Court intended? Kim Norberg and co-host Keith Neely discuss qualified immunity and how it plays out in the real world. IJ Senior Attorney …
00:34:26 |
Wed 17 Apr 2024
New Jersey Was Caught Keeping Baby Blood
Unbeknownst to parents, a portion of their baby’s blood remained unused after a standard screening was complete. And New Jersey had unilaterally decided that it could keep that blood for 23 years. Ev…
00:29:11 |
Fri 05 Apr 2024
Deep Dive is now Beyond the Brief
Deep Dive is now becoming Beyond the Brief. We will still bring you the same great IJ-related content as before, but now in a studio setting. Stay tuned.
00:00:41 |
Thu 04 Apr 2024
Will the Supreme Court Limit Police Power to “Stop and Frisk”?
One of the most controversial practices in modern policing is law enforcement's power to "stop and frisk" individuals without probable cause that a crime has been committed. On today's show, we talk …
00:38:51 |
Thu 20 Jan 2022
These Inspectors Think “Open for Business” Means “No Warrant Required”
Jeremy Bennett had no idea that asking an Ohio Department of Natural Resources officer to come back when his taxidermy shop was open for the season meant that he might face jail time for “denying” an…
00:30:11 |
Thu 13 Jan 2022
When Can Your Past Bar You From a Job—And When Should It?
In Virginia, any one of 176 so-called barrier crimes can disqualify a person from work in certain occupations for life—no matter how old the conviction, how unrelated it is to the work the person des…
00:33:13 |
Wed 05 Jan 2022
Grand Theft Auto in Wilmington, Delaware
In Wilmington, Delaware, any car with more than $200 in outstanding fines can be towed by private towing companies. Vehicle owners have no way to contest the tickets or seizure without first paying t…
00:25:42 |
Thu 21 Oct 2021
IJ at 30: IJ President Scott Bullock on the Cases and Clients that Changed IJ and the Law (A Deep Dive Best Of)
Before he was IJ’s president, Scott Bullock spent 25 years as an IJ attorney. In this episode, he recounts his years in the trenches as a litigator, from the first case he litigated on behalf of Afri…
00:30:58 |
Tue 28 Sep 2021
Will the Supreme Court overturn its infamous decision letting developers take your property?
Though Susette Kelo’s fight to save her home from her city’s efforts to take it for a private developer ended in 2005, the fight against eminent domain abuse has continued. In today’s show, we revisi…
00:32:18 |
Thu 26 Aug 2021
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